Karenni resistance authorities investigate clash between anti-junta groups

A deadly clash that broke out late last week between armed resistance groups in southern Shan State’s Pekhon Township is currently under investigation, according to senior officials of the Karenni Interim Executive Committee (IEC). The incident, which occurred on April 24, involved the Moebye People’s Defence Force (MB-PDF) and the newly formed Alpha Military Region 1 (Moebye), and resulted in casualties on both sides, sources said. “At present, the Karenni joint military command is handling the matter. More details will be known after they complete their investigation,” IEC Secretary 2 Banyar Khun Aung told Myanmar Now on Monday. According to reports, around 50 MB-PDF members were travelling near the town of Moebye on Friday when they encountered troops from Alpha Military Region 1, which was formed on April 20 as a coalition of resistance forces based along the border between Karenni State and southern Shan State. The two sides soon started shooting at each other, resulting in the death of at least nine of the MB-PDF members, including their leader, Aung Min, sources close to the group said. The sources added that the group’s base in Lapinnwet, a village about nine miles southwest of Moebye, was also raided, resulting in further casualties. “They raided U Aung Min’s headquarters. Some members died, some were executed, some were captured alive, and weapons and ammunition at the camp were seized,” one source said. Aung Min was formerly a member of Moebye’s PDF Battalion 1001, a unit operating under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG), before forming his own group. Alpha Military Region 1 includes PDF battalions 1001 and 1007, Tactical Operations Commands 1 and 8 of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), and other local resistance forces. In a statement, the group said that it operates under the political and military leadership of the IEC, KNDF, and the Karenni Joint Military Command Committee. According to a source close to the NUG, the PDF units that have joined Alpha Military Region 1 are no longer under the command of the NUG’s Ministry of Defence. Myanmar Now attempted to contact the group for comment on last week’s clash and reports that three of its members were injured in the fighting, but did not receive a response. A civilian source familiar with the situation suggested that the shooting incident may have stemmed from a dispute between Aung Min and a member of the IEC’s local administrative council in Pekhon Township. However, this could not be independently verified at the time of reporting. Another local civilian said that the incident reflected poorly on Karenni resistance forces. “Even though Ko Aung Min had a controversial reputation, he was not part of the military regime. Perhaps there were things going on that we don’t know about, but from the public perspective, this is internal fighting, and it looks bad,” he said. A local civil society group, the Kayan National Organization, also issued a statement on Monday expressing condolences for those killed and urging efforts to prevent such incidents in the future.

Karenni resistance authorities investigate clash between anti-junta groups

At least nine people were killed following a shootout between two armed resistance forces in southern Shan State last week

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